Flammable biomes dominated by eucalypts originated at the Cretaceous-Palaeogene boundary

Crisp, Michael; Burrows, Geoffrey E.; Cook, Lynette Gai; Thornhill, Andrew; Bowman, David M.J.S.

Cultural advice

The Australian National University acknowledges, celebrates and pays our respects to the Ngunnawal and Ngambri people of the Canberra region and to all First Nations Australians on whose traditional lands we meet and work, and whose cultures are among the oldest continuing cultures in human history.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are advised that ANU Library collections may include images, names, voices, and other representations of deceased persons.

Material in the collection may contain terms, language or views that reflect the period in which the item was created and may be considered inappropriate today.

Flammable biomes dominated by eucalypts originated at the Cretaceous-Palaeogene boundary

Date

2011

Authors

Crisp, Michael

Burrows, Geoffrey E.

Cook, Lynette Gai

Thornhill, Andrew

Bowman, David M.J.S.

Publisher

Macmillan Publishers Ltd

Abstract

Fire is a major modifier of communities, but the evolutionary origins of its prevalent role in shaping current biomes are uncertain. Australia is among the most fire-prone continents, with most of the landmass occupied by the fire-dependent sclerophyll an